These are my last few days of freedom (as Chris so aptly put it on Tuesday – thanks, Dear!). I start at my new job on Monday, and even though I’m excited and raring to go, I have to admit that I’ve enjoyed these weeks of unemployment a lot more than I thought I would.

About 2 months ago, just a little bit before we moved from Massachusetts to South Bend, I said that I wasn’t going to allow myself to grow nervous, worried, or anxious about my jobless state. I was sincere at the time, but later I wasn’t so sure that I could do it. I half-expected to go back on my words and freak out, but that never happened. I can only remember 2 times during these last 7 weeks where I had a few minutes of anxiety about getting a job. When that happened, I simply reminded myself that I wasn’t going to worry, and I didn’t. Having the experience of worrying as much as I did when we moved to Massachusetts certainly helped. At that time, I was so anxious, almost to the point of being ill, and it was all for nothing. Things worked out then, and I kept telling myself that things would work out here, too.

Chris has helped in that regard. He’s been extremely supportive and sweet all this time. He’s made it very clear that he appreciates my willingness to follow him hither and yon for the benefit of his career, and I think he also likes the fact that when he walks in the door after work, dinner is just about to come out of the oven. How tres 1950s housewife of me, non?

I never would have imagined it, but I like being home. I like the fact that I get to set my own schedule, that I can take care of the house, that I have all this time to cook and grocery shop, and, yes, even clean.

I’m not romanticizing being a stay-at-home wife or mother. I don’t have kids, but from what I’ve seen and heard, they uh, tend to “complicate” things. As in, you don’t set your own schedule, you don’t have a lot of time to take care of the house, cooking dinner needs to be done in 30 minutes or less, and cleaning is a constant battle. I also know that having a husband who makes enough money to allow me to do this definitely helps, and that not everyone has that benefit. I’m not taking things for granted. But for me, this has been nice.

I know that it’ll be awhile before I take a break like this again. I’m guessing that the next time I have a large chunk of time off will be shortly after we move to New Zealand in May, where I’ll once again be on the hunt for a job and a house while Chris settles into his new role. So, for these last few days, I’m really going to savor my freedom. I don’t know what I’m going to do, but I’m going to relax and enjoy. Have a great Thursday, everyone!

Definitely enjoy it, when preppy boyfriend and I moved 3 times in two years for culinary school I went through a few periods jobless-ness and it was so nice to focus on life outside of work, and now that I’ve been working and we haven’t moved for 15 months I have to say I miss having those breaks of 3-4 weeks where I didn’t have to work… The paycheck is nice, but if I could I would stay at home any day!

I’ve been in that spot before, with an extended period of unexpected unemployment. It’s amazing how full the days can get and how you wondered how you ever did it when you had a job! It is nice to get a break sometimes. Also, I loved that you used an Anne Taintor graphic – she’s one of my faves.